Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Eylau, one of the bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic wars. Today we honor those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for their service to their countries.

One thing I came away from with studying the 1807 Winter campaign is that it was just plain terrible. The conditions were wretched, the men were miserable and it cost the French army 150k losses not only from combat but mainly from strategic consumption.

They speak of Murat's charge as if it was the ultimate path of seeking glory. Anyone who has ever been in combat knows better. The charge was done at a walk or trot at best. The snow was so bad that the horses had to tread carefully. It was not the charge that is pictured in the paintings.

Raising a toast to the common soldiers who marched through mud up to their waist, hauled wagons and guns out of the muck and mire of the Polish winter landscape and to the civilians whose lives were forever changed by the campaign.

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